YOLA NASH, M.S.
CPR Awareness.org Founder, TV and Radio Host, Producer, Singer

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Check my biography and some highlights of which I am so proud.
Yola Nash Biography

HOW IT ALL STARTED

About two years ago Yola Nash (radio/TV journalist, singer) was the host of a summer festival in Sommerville, New Jersey, and one of the performers, a popular magician, suffered a massive heart attack during his show on stage. She rushed to help while thousands of people looked on and panicked. Yola worked for over 25 minutes, using CPR, to keep his heart going until the ambulance arrived. His breathing and his heart stopped many times during this ordeal, but she continued to work, keeping him alive long after many would probably have given up.

Later the magician had an open heart surgery and received a highly sophisticated device implanted into his heart, called a defibrillator and survived. (Defibrillators provide a shock to the heart, restoring it to it's normal rhythm. Its purpose is to prevent cardiac arrest, a condition where the heart stops or is unable to pump blood.)

In recognition for her action, Yola Nash received a "Commendation of Heroic Action" from the Governor of the State of New Jersey, Richard J. Codey. She was also congratulated by such honorable organizations as the American Heart Association and President Bill Clinton's Foundation, who was moved by her courage and determination. Yola's quick action during this traumatic event drew attention from several media publications and also inspired her to create a special program for schools called Feel the Beat /CPR Awareness For Young People. The program was already tested in one of the "top public high schools" (New York Magazine), the Young Women's Leadership School, and proved to be very successful. The event was featured as a "top story" by NY1 TV, and was attended by the Director of the American Heart Association, Mark Hurley.

The school project teaches students the lifesaving technique CPR, incorporating CPR demonstrations and live music into a traveling assembly program. Yola also formed the organization CPRAwareness.org, established a CPR Awareness Day of NYC and organized a unique concert "Feel the Beat." In support, Yola and her organization received a special proclamation from NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Perfroming CPR

How to perform CPR on a child

How to perfrom CPR on an adult

Click on Image for larger version

When every second is critical, would you know what to do?

According to recent statistics, sudden cardiac arrest is rapidly becoming the leading cause of death in America. Once the heart ceases to function, a healthy human brain may survive without oxygen for up to 4 minutes without suffering any permanent damage.

Unfortunately, a typical medical emergency response may take 6, 8 or up to 20 minutes. It is during those critical minutes that CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) can provide oxygenated blood to the victim's brain and the heart, dramatically increasing his chance of survival. And if properly instructed, almost anyone can learn and perform CPR.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. CPR involves a combination of mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing and chest compression that keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until more definitive medical treatment can restore a normal heart rhythm.

CPR FACTS

Someone can stop breathing and/or have cardiac arrest from:
- heart attacks
- strokes (when the blood flow to a part of the brain suddenly stops)
- choking on something that blocks the entire airway
- near-drowning incidents (when someone is under water for too long and stops breathing, but is still alive)
- a very bad head or back injury
- severe electrical shocks (like from touching a power line)
- being very sick from an infection
- badly bleeding
- severe allergic reactions
- severely burned victim

According to the American Heart Association, Every 29 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack.

Every minute someone dies from a heart attack. Those statistics translate to 1.5 million heart attacks a year with 500,000 dying, usually quite suddenly.

75% of all cardiac arrests happen in people's homes. Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in adults.

There has never been a case of HIV transmitted by mouth-to-mouth CPR.